Melanie J. Young

Mel Young, also known as Melanie Young, is a conservation biologist and ecologist based at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.Her research focuses on understanding the diet, dispersal and foraging behaviors of yellow-eyed penguins.

Mel completed a Master of Science on the productivity of yellow-eyed penguins at the University of Otago in 2014. This involved using hatch rates, chick survival rates, and the mass of chicks to predict how birds and breeding success might be impacted by changes in the marine environment. She worked as a biodiversity ranger for the Department of Conservation for a number of years. Her work involved monitoring and managing yellow-eyed penguin populations in the Otago region.Mel is currently completing a doctorate at the University of Otago. This involves using satellite trackers to map the foraging behaviors at sea of yellow-eyed penguins.